Toward a Field of Labor Activism

Abstract

A recent upsurge in organizing by workers in the United States presents an opportunity to reconsider the state and fate of the US labor movement. We argue that the conceptual apparatus of strategic action fields offers a tool to contextualize this development. In particular, it shines light upon categorization struggles, delegation of labor within the field, relationships among labor organizations, and strategies to change the rules of the field-game. Interpreting the trends reported by the Worker Empowerment Research Network through the lens of field theory cannot predict the future but can make sense of present obstacles and opportunities.